SHAH ALAM: The fourth witness in the murder trial of cosmetics millionairess Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya and three other individuals told the High Court here yesterday, that he did not kill the four.
R Kathavarayan, 32, who is also the fourth accused, said this in reply to counsel Manjeet Singh Dhillon who is defending first accused
N Pathmanabhan.
Manjeet noted that the accused had been detained since Sept 9, 2010, that trial commenced on July 4, 2011, and that yesterday was the 94th day of hearing.
Counsel asked Kathavarayan whether he had shared all evidence he gave under oath, to the police, to which the witness replied: “Only part of it”.
“So, the charge against you, that you committed murder on Aug 30, 2010 is rubbish?” asked Manjeet.
The inference by counsel was objected to, by prosecution head Deputy Public Prosecutor Ishak Mohd Yusoff, who said it was for the court to decide whether or not, it was.
However, Justice Datuk Akhtar Tahir overruled the objection and counsel re-phrased the question, opting to use the word ‘wrong’ and ‘unjust’, instead of ‘rubbish’, to which Kathavarayan replied in the affirmative.
Kathavarayan, with Pathmanabhan, 43, T Thilaiyalagan, 21, and R Matan, 22, are accused of murdering Sosilawati, 47, bank officer Noorhisham Mohamad, 38, lawyer Ahmad Kamil Abdul Karim, 32, and Sosilawati’s driver, Kamaruddin Shamsuddin, 44, at Ladang Gadong in Lot 2001 in Jalan Tanjong Layang, Tanjung Sepat, Banting between 8.30pm and 9.45pm on Aug 30, 2010.
At the proceedings today, Kathavarayan denied he was a police informer when asked by Manjeet whether he had been asked by a police officer to assist him again, when he was brought to the Gombak police headquarters on Sept 10, 2010.
Meanwhile, Akhtar rejected an application by Kathavarayan’s counsel, Hasshahari Johari Mawi, to get the court to acknowledge his client’s two police reports dated Dec 3 and Dec 10, last year.
Hasshahari had submitted that Kathavarayan made the reports because of death threats against his family, but Akhtar deemed them irrelevant to the case.
The trial continues today. — Bernama